After Almost-Armageddon
by Lucky-Racer
Summary: Team Avatar has gone their separate ways following the end of Harmonic Convergence. Can they return to a semblance of a normal life? Do they /want/ a "normal" life? Ch. 2: Asami finally gets to tell Mako how she REALLY feels! Haha.
1. Bolin

_**A/n:** Hi, guys! I really hope you like this. _**Please review**_ and tell me what you think :) I know it's short, but more to come soon!_

**After Almost-Armageddon, Chapter 1: Bolin**

Bolin laced his fingers together behind his head, leaning back in his hot tub, trying to exhale his stress away. It was the end of another long day of acting, and all he wanted to do was to relax. _I am still surprised at how quickly Varrick started making a new mover, considering the world almost ended and all,_ he thought. He supposed he shouldn't be _too_ taken aback, especially considering how… opportunistic the man was. Bolin frowned, cracked his knuckles, and tried to massage out a twinging ache from his calf.

He wasn't going to lie; the life of an actor was hard work. The inner poor-kid in his head scorned him for ever even _contemplating_ that notion, much less believing it, but… it was true. Even though it was difficult enough scraping for money and barely having enough to survive, at least he had always had Mako. But once they had enough money to make ends meet, Bolin had learned that additional money didn't seem to buy happiness. Sure, the hot tub, fancy clothes, and life-sized marble statue of himself were all nice – but as he had remarked to Asami the night of the final premier of _Nuktuk_: it wasn't much, or, seemed like a lot less, when you didn't have anyone to share it with. Retrospectively, he thought she could probably understand it better than he thought, but she had always at least had her dad or, more recently, Mako.

_Big brother. _ Even though Bolin knew he annoyed the brains out of Mako at times, they had lived together for so long! And he had always at least had someone to talk to. _Make that a human someone._ He smiled. At least Pabu was still around. His furry companion, though not able to talk back, had proven to be a great friend nonetheless. But Bolin still yearned for a human to have a real conversation with, outside of work – especially a _female_ human.

He fought off a sudden cold chill when a vivid image of Eska popped into his head. He had always wondered what was under that coat- _stop it, Bolin,_ he chided himself. Best not to travel down that road with an ex. Remembering his and Eska's crazy kiss, he mused about what Mako had thought. His brother was under the impression that Bolin had simply tricked the fearsome waterbender into believing that he loved her in order to escape from their icy prisons. He sighed again from deep in his belly, expelling the air forcefully out of his lungs. Slowly raking his fingers through his hair, he coated the strands in hot water. He still wasn't sure exactly how he felt – _had_ felt about Eska, he corrected. How much of it had he faked, the second time around? The kiss had been nice enough, in a desperate I'm-trying-to-kiss-you-while-still-encased-in-an-ice-block-and-scared-shitless-that-armageddon-is-here sort of way.

That's what made this acting stuff tricky. After a while, the line between reality and fiction started to blur. The juxtaposition of himself saving the president in real life during the climax of the _Nuktuk_ finale was a chilling testament to just that. Just when he had started to actually think that some of the acting would translate to real life, such as moving his and Ginger's on-screen relationship to something actually tangible off-screen, of course, the buxom little minx had to stomp on his hopes.

"These damn _women_!" he yelled, pounding his fists into the water in frustration. The water slapped his triceps before yielding, sending a wave over the side in the process. Pabu, who had been napping near the tub, shrieked as the deluge hit him. "Oops, sorry little buddy," Bolin apologized, smiling with chagrin – an emotion brought on both from soaking his pet and the memories.

He rolled his eyes at himself._ Besides,_ he thought, _don't even get me _started_ on Korra._ Remembering the blissful date he had spent with Korra, his cheeks heated. He had acted like such a doofus; it was no wonder that she didn't want him. Annoyed that the memory could still affect him, he shook his head to himself in disbelief. A pang of sadness stabbed his gut. It was a mixture of longing and misery, coupled together…

_Misery?! Come on, guy. Get your head on straight,_ his brain snapped at him.

Still. He had had ample fangirls as a Pro Bender, and had even more now as a mover star. Why weren't any of them suitable?

_They're not her,_ inner-Bolin said, not impatiently. Was it true that he was putting on a front of trying to find a new girl while secretly burning for the Avatar?

Was it true that he had actually felt relieved when Eska announced that she wasn't coming to Republic City to be with him? Could he actually have felt quite more ecstatic inside instead of empathy for Mako when his brother and Korra split for the second time?

Pabu finally seemed to be feeling better, re-settling in front of the tub's heater to dry. Bolin finally got out of the tub and toweled off, settling down beside his furry friend and stroking the ferret's fur. "Oh, Pabu," Bolin remarked. "Why does this always happen to me? Why am I so…alone?"

As always, the ferret's whiskers twitched and he could offer no reply. But, it was still better than nothing.


	2. Asami

_**A/n:**__ Hi guys! I'm back again, hope you like it. :) Please drop me a **review :D** and let me know what you think. Love you all!  
Ch. 2 first uploaded 1/25/14_

**After Almost-Armageddon, Chapter 2: Asami**

Asami somehow managed to feel stressed out, even though the world had almost ended a few weeks ago. _How could anything be more stressful than the world almost ending?!_ she thought, annoyed by the whole thing. She supposed that it was always relatively easy to return to a routine after a disruption, rather than the alternative. Everyday life was a much better option than Vaatu reigning. Upon this reflection, Asami decided that feeling stressed was still better than the option of eternal darkness.

Striding down the streets of Republic City back to her apartment – she'd sold the house to keep her business afloat during the tumultuous times while Varrick was in jail – she caught herself hunching her shoulders together and made herself ease them down to a more normal posture. Thinking about her old mansion, she supposed that it was just as well. The president himself had given her the legal green light to sell it, because of "extenuating circumstances", even though it legally still belonged to her father. She sure as hell didn't want any reminders of the man – one of the men – who had broken her heart; she surely wanted to live constantly in a reminder even less. There was no way she could live in the house and not think of him.

_Living is a better alternative…On most days,_ she thought wryly, full ruby lips turning up on one side, though it was not a true smile.

At least today had turned out well. Varrick was finally out of jail and he and Asami had come to an understanding as business partners. Asami couldn't hold a grudge for the life of her, and was quick to forgive the eccentric fellow nonbender for stealing all of her equipment and mecha tanks during the Water Tribe civil war. She understood where he was coming from, he had just wanted help for a cause he cared about – though it probably didn't hurt that he was actually right about Unalaq being a crazy, power-hungry monster. Apparently the President understood, too, because he gave Varrick a full pardon, despite being almost kidnapped and all.

"Ma'am… please, help me," a raspy voice sounded as bony fingers reached out to her from the side of the road. Her attention drawn to the crippled beggar, she flipped a coin into his cup. She heightened her awareness as she moved into her neighborhood. It wasn't the worst part of town, but it was definitely worse than what she grew up in.

Similarly, her apartment was fairly drab, considering she hadn't had much time to make it homey. Plain but sturdy furniture were the only adornments to the muted color scheme. Once inside, she took her coat off with relief. She stripped down to an undershirt and removed her shoes, stomach grumbling. She set a pot of water on the stove in preparation for cooking, along with some spices. The water would take_ forever_ to boil because of the low-grade appliance, but it was better than nothing. She had just settled down to wait when she heard a knock at the door.

Whoever it was didn't even wait for her to answer, they just burst right in.

"You shouldn't be living here. This area isn't safe, Asami!"

Correction, _Mako_ had just burst into her apartment. And on top of that, he was actually rebuking her.

"I'm serious. I'm a cop, for goodness' sake. I know these things," the firebender preached. This just got better and better.

Fighting down her surprise, among other tangled emotions, she breathed in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth to try and calm her suddenly racing heart. Silly her, for not locking her door right away. With her second breath she rose from the couch, eyes narrowed to slits. "And just _what_ are you doing here?"

"Saving you some trouble. I'm helping you move back to your house, where you belong."

Asami stuck her chin out. "You can't. I sold it. And I can't be put into a box like that, Mako. I'm not like other girls that grew up wealthy."

His face relaxed ever so slightly; it was almost imperceptible. "I know, but…you sold it? To who! Who had enough money and interest to buy it so quickly?"

Her cheeks reddened. "It's none of your business. How did you even know where to find me? You didn't ask your brother where I live, right? You wouldn't actually do that? Violate my privacy like that?"

His hard stare didn't let up. The oddly-shaped eyebrows that always made him look so serious slanted downwards. After several long moments, though, Mako seemed to fold. He shrugged ever so slightly, a noncommittal gesture. "Asami. Please. I'm just thinking of your safety, here. It's because I care about you. Remember?"

Asami's mouth opened and closed a few times in anger, and she was sure she looked like a fish, but she couldn't believe what was happening. "Haven't you already had enough fun with my heart?"

It seemed silence was the route he was taking, how typical, because he didn't say anything, just gazed balefully at her. Hardly an invitation to continue. But, for some reason, she thought he was waiting for her to get out all her frustrations, rage, bitterness that she'd kept inside and masked with politeness for the sake of Team Avatar. Well, fine! He'd asked for it!

Where to begin? She closed her eyes slowly, gathering her thoughts, trying to make a list of every hurt she wanted to articulate to him. It was as if remembering for herself, and throwing it back at him, it would make him hurt, too. She _knew_ that it would hurt him, and it was the least he could suffer for treating her that way in the first place.

Opening her eyes again, trying to keep the tears from showing, she sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth. "I'm just…I'm so mad at myself. I kicked myself for weeks after you left the first time. Weeks, Mako. For not seeing the signs. I mean, even when Bolin told me about the kiss, I still wanted to believe the best. And every time you rushed to her after something happened. When you carried her like a poor baby bird in your arms. Every time you left my side to go to hers – literally and figuratively."

"Asami..." Mako said, long face distraught and eyebrows knitted together.

"No. You treated me like a second-rate woman. And you know the horrible part? I actually thought we would be together, a second time. And I saw you do the exact same thing to me. A. Second. Time. **MAKO!** Two times! How!? How could you do that to me?" Her beautiful pale skin was flushed high on her cheekbones. "Do you have any idea how it feels? What it does to a one's self-esteem?"

This is what twisted her heart so badly. _Korra._ The name was like poison in her mouth, she hated that little girl, she really did. Jealousy clawed its way into her up her lungs into her throat and took her breath away, almost choking her. But what was really horrible was…Asami actually liked the Avatar. The younger girl was brave, and fun, and unpredictable. They would've made great best friends, in any other situation, and on a normal day Asami felt sorrow that they couldn't be closer.

But not today.

"Mako, please… if you have any feelings left for me at all, I don't care what kind right now. Platonic, romantic, whatever, if you feel a shred of _anything_. You'll leave. Just walk out that door, and leave me alone." It was getting hard to speak, and her throat felt swollen._ Dammit, just get out before the waterworks start!_ She crossed her arms and stared stoically at the man, willing him to leave. She just couldn't do it. Not today.

He stared back and was still for a long moment. Then two, then three long moments. She could almost see him teetering on the brink between heeding her words and not. _Please, just leave, _she begged mentally. Finally, he twisted on his heel and kicked the door on the way out, but before he had left, he shot a sphere of flame towards her cooking pot.

As the door slammed shut, a large cloud of steam escaped the pot. The tension brought on by the sudden emotionally-charged encounter eased away as she walked over to investigate.

A few tears managed to leak out of her eyes, her mind still brooding on the past. Upon seeing what had happened to her cooking water, though, her mood suddenly, almost manically lifted, and she clamped her fingers hard over her mouth to keep the laughter from bubbling out.

The water was boiling.


End file.
